Catching mule..?

Question

Welll, I bought a mule a few days ago and haven't been able to catch him. The lady I bought him from told me the only way she could really catch him is if she ran him into his stall with grain. But.. I have him on pasture board with only a run in shed with no gate.. so I can't do that. Anyways, he'll come up to me with grain and be all hunky doory.. but as soon as he learns I have a halter/lead rope he runs for the hills. So does anyone have any good tips on catching a stubborn mule?! .. I know I shouldn't have turned him out into the pasture when I first got him but I have no other place to put him. Thanks! =]

Answer 1

mules can be a pain in the butt

1 if he is a yearling that properly it

2 try to bring out a full\empty bucket and shake it that sometime works with me

3 once he comes just start petting him and stuff the slip the halter and lead on any other just add it trust me i have had to deal with mules infact almost twice a week but they can be loyal

Answer 2

hello~

you can try:

putting the halter right side up in a grain bucket ( with grain ) and introduce it to him when he goesdown to take a bite pull the halter up and latch it quick.

stick the end of it in you back pocket and go up to him and hug his neck and go around hisface and then go back to his neck and wrap on arm around it while pulling on the halter with the other hand..

also just go out to the pasture and when you get to him  ( with the halter in the back pocket like last time ) just rub him... and then take out the halter and rub him... hold his neck and show it to him.. then walk away... do this on and off for awhile.. should get him to calm down

wrap a rope around his neck and have someone hold it while you put the halter on ( make sure not to choke him :) )

good luck

Answer 3

This is definately a question for mulereiner. But, I guess it is the same with any horse.

I'm not sure about how to catch him. I, personally, would just go out in the field with him. Don't worry about catching him, just go out and pet and play with him. Get him used to you being around him. Once he is used to you being around, slip a breakaway halter on him. A breakaway halter is safe to leave on in a pasture and shouldn't injure him if he catches it on anything. Since you have the halter on him, you will just have to grab ahold of the halter to catch him.

Also, make being taken out of the field fun. Don't take him out and have him do something he doesn't want to do. Take him out and let him graze on the lead or groom him. Make being on the lead something enjoyable.

Answer 4

Ignore him. Stand still (have feed or treats handy) and do something or pretend to do something with your back to him.

Be patient. He'll come over soon. Let him eat out of the bucket eventually, and ease a lead over hsi neck or a looped rope where it will stay if he runs. If he runs, let him - the rope is there and when he stops you can grab the end and then halter him.

OR you can get help and corner him, then halter him. But you will have to be patient ....

Answer 5

You have to be persistent.  It might take 45 minutes, but just be prepared for that.  Go out there with your halter and walk toward him.  You want to keep your eyes down and walk toward his shoulder, not his head.  DOn't just march up to him or he will think you are chasing him by your body language.  You don't want to seem too dominant.  ONce you get up to him, do something he like such as scratch him and then walk away.  ALways have the halter with you so he learns that the halter doesn't necessarily mean he is going to be caught, it just is there all the time, like it's part of you.  Keep going up to him, scratching him and walking away.  And then one of those times put the halter on.

Another thing you can try, if you have a bit of a smaller paddock, is take a lunge whip with you.  If he moves away when you go toward him, then you  make him keep moving.  Make it harder and more work for him to try to get away from you than it is to stand still.  Keep him moving until YOU say whoa (or whatever your cue is to stop).  Soon he'll learn that if he goes to run away, he'll have to keep running and that's a lot of work for him so he'll choose to stand still.

When you do catch him (using whatever method) make sure sometimes you just halter him, take him in and give him grain or something nice, and then put him back out.  He may jus associate that halter with work so you need to teach him that the halter does not = work all the time.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Some of the mule 'guru' trainers will take your money by trying to sell you a tape to catch your mule, including one of my alltime favorite mule trainers...

It just doesn't happen.  Once a mule learns this tactic, its hard to break.  The easiest way is to just control the situation.

I had the same boarding situation you did when I lived back in SD and still have a mule that is just like yours, my son's mule will not let us catch him in the wide open and theres no negotiating.

You will have to put up corral panels, theres just no other way.  Feed the mule in the corral and then close it up.  You don't need more than 4 panels.  

Save your money when you see a 'how to catch my mule' video, mules are just too smart to see any tricks coming.  Most take it well with corraling it down and basically that is your only option.